Want Help With Procrastination?

Here are some great tips for dealing with procrastination (by Jennifer Koretsky, OnlineOrganizing.com).

When a person is bored or UNINTERESTED, certain tasks and projects can seem like torture! This feeling usually leads to procrastination, and procrastination often leads to GUILT:

• RECHARGE DAILY Procrastination can often be caused (or exacerbated by) a feeling of being drained and listless. Be sure to get enough sleep and rest each day so that you have the necessary ENERGY you need to accomplish your tasks.
• GET A FRIEND INVOLVED It's harder to procrastinate when another person is involved. If you have a task you aren't looking forward to, invite a friend over to help you out. If you have errands to run, find a buddy who you can run errands with. Just having an ACCOUNTABILITY partner can make all the difference in the world.
• REWARD YOURSELF You're much more likely to complete that boring task if there is a dinner out or a new compact disc waiting for you when (and only when) the task is complete. We often forget that we respond better to a POSITIVE enticement to get things done. Instead of using a whip, why not try a carrot?
• DO THINGS IN PIECES Procrastination often comes from feelings of OVERWHELM. Break tasks, even small ones, into STEPS so that they are manageable and provide you with a sense of direction.
• USE MUSIC Turn on some fun and UPBEAT music and let it pump you up! 80s music and showtunes are often great pick-me-ups that will give you needed energy to tackle your tasks.
• DON'T BE AFRAID TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE Don't be afraid to balance routine or MONOTONOUS tasks with something that is more likely to hold your interest. You can pay bills while you watch television, or talk on the phone while cleaning up the house.
• DELEGATE Do you find yourself procrastinating on chores at home like cleaning and laundry? Or maybe paperwork at the office? Delegate them! Kids, cleaning people, laundry services, administrative assistants and more are all available to take some of those BORING tasks off your list and free up your time for the stuff you'd RATHER be doing.
• PRIORITIZE Perhaps you're procrastinating on a task because it's really NOT that important. Maybe you'd love to re-organize your book shelves, but never get around to it. If it sounds like a good idea but in the end it's really not that important to you, don't let it hang over your head. Just let it go and recognize that you wouldn't have gotten that much value out of completing the job in the first place.
• GET IN TOUCH WITH THE END RESULT Before you begin a task or project that has high procrastination potential, get in touch with the OUTCOME. When the task is finished, what will that mean to you? What will be better in life as a result?
• JUST DO IT Don't THINK about it too much, just jump in and get it done!